Reading Resolutions. Do we need them?

01Feb

Oh! I haven’t made any book reading resolutions for this year and it’s already February! Well, I’ve signed up to read 100 books on goodreads, but that’s less of a challenge and more of a hope, considering all the essays I have to write and the journals I’ll have to read instead of books.

Final year is so much tougher than I thought it would be. Maybe it’s because last year felt so… indulgent. I got to read as many books as I liked in any genre because they were in French. Now that I’m back in England, I feel a little guilty whenever I read a book in English.

Maybe setting a number of books to read in French and Spanish would make me feel less guilty and would in turn help me to read more? Will mull it over ‘til Monday.

Summary of 2012
Last year I managed to read a record number of books (for me, that is). A cool total of 150 books (excluding re-reads), which is a pretty decent number, even for a student. Despite this, I didn’t manage to complete all my reading challenges for 2012. O.o

Despite this, I feel as though I’ve taken the next step in the long journey of discovering new books, stepping out of my comfort zone and appreciating what something I never thought I’d read can offer. Or trying to in the case of the few books I didn’t like so much.

How do you feel about setting yourself goals for reading/ writing/ watching films? Do you think they help you appreciate the ones you like more?

5 responses to “Reading Resolutions. Do we need them?”

I devote an enormous amount of time to planning my reading and viewing lists, I think it helps to stop me wasting time on things I won’t enjoy or can’t get in to.
I’m impressed with your total, I just don’t have enough time to read as much as I would like :( I look forward to holidays because planning a full day’s reading is such a luxury. x

I have a lot of respect for you for planning your reading and viewing lists. How do you work out what you’re going to watch or read next?
I do have a massive TBR list that I want to start reading in the near future but for now it’s exciting for me to go for the first book/ film that springs to hand.

I tend to go with what I feel like – so I cherry-pick from my lists! I use Lovefilm for my viewing and they positively encourage list making.
There are books on my reading list that have been on there for 7 years that I still have not got around too. I wish I could do away with the need for sleep :) x

Personally, I set a goal for the number of books to read in one year (I think my current goal is 100, but I may cheat and include picture books…)

Although I have repeatedly made efforts to make a TBR list, it never seems to happen. I make my decisions about what to read next in the moment and I’m particular about what I like to read. I could probably benefit from reading outside my comfort zone. We’ll see what the rest of the reading time in 2013 has in store!